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tv   The Situation Room  CNN  July 24, 2012 1:00pm-4:00pm PDT

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almost 5%. overall adding to a pretty gloomy day on wall street. oking like it could be the third triple-digit loss for the dow. though stocks have come back from their lows, brooke. >> and there we have the bell. and that's my cue to exit stage right here. i'm brooke baldwin. thanks for being with me. now to wolf blitzer. "the situation room" begins now. thanks very much, brooke. happening now, grenades and gasoline rigged to set off a massive explosion. we are learning right now new details of the death trap inside the theater massacre suspect's apartment. standby. also, a major and blistering foreign policy speech by mitt romney opening a new line of atta on president obama. plus, a wave of killings in iraq culminating the country's deadliest day of the year. could it be linked to the crisis right next door in syria? i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."
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the massacre inside that colorado movie theater now appears to be only part of the horror that was planned. a law enforcement official who seen video of the suspect, james holmes' booby trapped apartment tells cnn it was rigged with more than 30 homemade grenades and ten gallons of gasoline. the source says that would have created a fireball knocking out walls engulfing the entire building in flames undoubtedly killing many more people. cnn's ed lavandera is joining us now once again from aurora, colorado. ed, what else are you learning? there are new developments emerging even as we speak. >> reporter: well, there's a great deal going on behind the scenes, but now there's a great effort to make sure that the principle players and many of the people involved in these investigations no longer speak
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publicly about what is going on. the judge issuing a gag order. ever since that has happened, it's become much more difficult to be able to report on this story and to keep up with what is going on. but we're told a few days ago by the police chief here in aurora that today, tuesday, would be the day defense attorneys would get a chance to go through the movie theater to do their own analysis inside the movie theater and gather their own evidence as they continue or begin the process of working on their case of to be able to defend james holmes, the 24-year-old suspect in this case. and then at some point tomorrow the theater would be turned back over to the company that owns it. and what happens to it after then is very much up in the air about whether or not when or if this theater will reopen. so we'll try to figure out how that plays out over the next couple of days, wolf. >> you've also been putting, ed, some of those dots together how james holmes allegedly paid for that huge arsenal that he had
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assembled. i guess within only a few months. >> reporter: well, that's one of the aspects we've been working on. if you start following the timeline, it was in june just a little more than a month ago that james holmes dropped out of that neuroscience ph.d. program here at the university of colorado. but according to authorities, it was during toward the end of that time that he had begun amassing the arsenal of weapons -- the four weapons he had bought in three local gun shops here in the denver area as well as 6,000 rounds of ammunition plus all of the materials that you detailed there at the beginning, wolf, about what was found inside of his apartment. a lot of questions, you know, how does a student like this pay for this? it's incredibly expensive. the grant that he was using to go to attend college here in the denver area gave him a stipend, a monthly stipend of almost $2,200 a month. his rent in the apartment complex we had shown you from
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what we've been able to gather could be anywhere between $600 and $900 a month. so had some money left over. and the question is whether or not some of that money, that grant money that came from the national institute of health might have been used to buy the weaponry and the explosives in this case. so that is a question we know investigators are also taking a much closer look at, wolf. >> ed, it's now been more than 24 hours since the victims' families and their families saw holmes in that courtroom. they've had a little sense to digest what they saw, that red hair, that dazed look from time to time, what kind of reaction are you seeing anecdotally from folks you are speaking with right there on the scene in aurora? >> reporter: i think from the people who have been most closely injured and hurt not only physically but emotionally with the loss of loved ones and that sort of thing, there is a great deal of, you know, people who are questioning whether or not who they saw there yesterday
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inthat courtroom is actually the real james holmes. many people who believe that he was putting on an act in some way, there's also a great deal of speculation that he might have been under the influence of some sort of prescription medication that he was struggling at times it appeared to stay awake. there are some people who think he might have been under the influence of meds. a wide range of emotions and reactions to that court appearance still from yesterday. >> ed lavandera on the scene for us. we'll check back with you. let's get a bit more now on what's going on. cnn's tom foreman has been investigating. tom, take us inside what was clearly designed to be a death trap, that apartment. you've been looking at how it was all assembled. >> yeah, wolf. this is really one of the great mysteries of the story. exactly what was the configuration inside this apartment. i want to talk about what we do know. look at this video from a few days back when authorities were trying to get in to this place. they were looking through the window moving very slowly. all explanations are because inside they were being met with
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an array of different explosives and triggers and potential problems. what do we know about what was inside that apartment? well f you look at this diagram here, it gives you some idea of what we're pretty certain of at this point. in the middle of the room were about 30 of these canisters, each about the size of a softball. this is the same sort of thing they use for fireworks displays that shoot up into the air. these we believe were packed with black powder. now, the way they were packed and the way they were wired would make the difference between whether or not they exploded or whether or not they just broke into a very, very intense fire. also around the room you mentioned ten gallons of gasoline. it wasn't in one place. our understanding is that it was in a variety of glass and metal containers around the room. in effect the design would suggest that it was to spread the fire much more quickly in many different directions. there was also according to the investigators a maze of wires running in all directions, all of this wire to the central core here. if we look at that video of what they blew up out in the plains
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there after they took it away, this gives you an idea of the burning and explosive force of what they took out of this room. you can see what that would do inside a normal apartment setting. this could be a big fire and cause an awful lot of damage. and the real trick to it all though, wolf, was the triggers. i spoke with a man from a company that sells this type of trigger, what we believe we're talking about here, and they're very, very common. this is the sort of thing you would have in your home for a home security system for example. it could be a simple trigger that is either set off by some kind of motion or by the passing over it, say a door with a magnet in the frame very much like your home security systems. they only cost a few dollars. and yet they're highly effective. that's what we believe the authorities broke up with one of these water gun explosives they have that will blow apart these things and keep them from blowing up. they had to be careful in that process because the spaghetti maze of wires out there to all the different potential triggers and ways of setting it off. they had to be careful, wolf,
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even if they stopped one trigger over here, there maybe another one here or here or here. that's why it took so long. when we ultimately get the schematic of this room, when we ultimately see what was going on there, i think we're going to see an amazingly complex contraption that presented all sorts of dangerous challenges to the investigators. >> yeah. i've heard conflicting reporting whether or not for example if you know anything about the ieds, the improvised explosive devices in iraq or afghanistan, you know they sometimes throw in nails to go out when the explosion goes to increase the intensity of the death, if you will. do we know of anything like that was in there? i've heard conflicting reports. >> i've heard the same things, wolf. i do not know it. and i think we should not report it. we simply don't know that to be the case. but obviously people are going to look at that because you're absolutely right. if you have these set up to actually explode, they are much more dangerous if on the outside is something that acts as shrapnel that tears through the
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room. something the most amateur bombmaker would know. see which degree of proof they find anything like that as they continue to go through this. >> thanks very much, tom foreman. in the wake of the massacre there are now new arguments over gun control. but old politics are marking the debate on capitol hill. kate bolduan is here in "the situation room" working this part of the story. it's intense up on capitol hill. what emerges from all that intensity remains to be seen. but what's going on? >> remains to be seen, but worth noting today democrat and republican they stood shoulder-to-shoulder today for an emotional moment on the house floor. away from the floor there was some talk of the need for more stricter gun control legislation in light of the tragedy. but what's also clear is that it's not going very far. >> as i said once before and as our governor said, we will remember these people who were hurt. and we will help them all along the way. >> reporter: a poignant moment of silence on the house floor honoring the victims of the colorado theater shooting.
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along with a renewed promise by some democrats to push for what they call common sense gun control legislation. >> i would just pose this question, how many more moments of silence do we have to have? how many vigils and prayer services do we have to have? >> reporter: house and senate democrats focusing this time on banning high capacity magazines. >> this has nothing to do with second amendment rights. this was made for military, for police. this is meant to kill as many people as possible in the shortest period of time. >> reporter: so why does no one expect any real action? democrats continue to blame republicans and the nra. >> we see what's in the house. and we see the power of the nra around here. >> reporter: republicans argue stricter gun control laws won't prevent tragedies. >> i think the widespread view
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is that somebody who is that unbalanced will find some way to do harm. >> reporter: house speaker john boehner even flipping the president's own message to his advantage. >> he's not going to use this horrific event to push for new gun laws. i agree. >> reporter: and the politics of gun policy remain exactly the same, a non-starter. top democratic leaders know that. openly recognizing they don't have the votes and don't sense the political will avoiding pointed questions on the issue tuesday. >> i'm not going to be debating magazine size and everything here with you today. >> what kind of gun control policy changes after aurora are you concerned losing to democrats? >> i'm concerned about the people who died there and getting all the facts as to how that happened, what mental health issues involved here are and how he acquired the guns. >> do you think republicans might be willing to work with you on gun control? >> you'll have to ask them. >> and while there was clearly some blaming and finger pointing going on on capitol hill, which
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is of course not new, virtually every democrat supporting stricter gun laws in so many words today made clear that until voters tell congress that is what they want, it's unlikely to go anywhere. it's unlikely to happen especially in an election year when gun policy has not so far ranked anywhere near the top of the issues the voters care most about what matters. >> you don't hear mitt romney talking so much about it. certainly don't hear the president of the united states talking about it. at least not now. thanks very much for that good report, kate. >> of course. mitt romney accuses the white house of -- i'm quoting the republican presidential candidate "contemptible conduct." and the obama campaign is now fighting back on another front. we're following new developments on the so-called ad wars. plus, the growing concern over syria's chemical weapons. what would it take for bashar al assad to unleash them on his own people? for paying your friend back for lunch...from your tablet. for 26 paydays triggered with a single tap.
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jack. >> wolf, with the election just three months away now and the economy continuing to struggle, a new poll suggests that americans overwhelmingly trust mitt romney to get the economy back on track. usa today gallup polls show more than two to one americans say romney's business background would help him make good decisions about the economy. pardon me. the obama campaign better take note. this is a poll that suggests the president's strategy of relentless attacks on romney's record at bain capital and his business background could backfire big time. with unemployment above 8% for 41 straight months, americans might not care so much what romney was doing ten years ago. bha they care about is someone fixing the economy today. in fact, a lot of voters probably find romney's business background to be a plus. meanwhile, the president has his own strengths over his gop rival in the same poll.
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the poll shows by a two to one margin voters say mr. obama is more likable than mitt romney. by wide margins voters say the president understands their problems better and that he's more honest and trustworthy than romney. which sets up an interesting dilemma come election day. are americans going to vote for the candidate who they think can fix the economy, the nation's top issue? or for the one they like best? and that's our question. is it more important for a president to be able to handle the economy or to be likable? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile, post a comment on my blog. or go to our post on "the situation room" facebook page. wolf. >> jack, thanks very much. he's been hammering president obama on the economy, but today there was a new line of attack by mitt romney. in a major foreign policy speech the presumptive republican presidential nominee accused the president and his administration of leaking sensitive classified information strictly for political gain. cnn's dana bash is in reno,
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nevada, right now. that's where romney addressed the veterans of foreign wars just a couple hours or so ago, dana, so what did romney say? >> reporter: well, wolf, from mideast policy to national defense cuts to the issue of integrity effectively, that is what mitt romney hit the president on. more sering rhetoric than we've ever heard before. and it was very careful to hit the issue jack was just talking about, the issue they think inside the romney campaign can hurt the most is credibility and trust. >> this congress is contempti e contemptible. it betrays our national interest. >> reporter: foreign policy is not a top priority for voters this year. so mitt romney decided to pummel the president on an issue they do care about, trust and credibility. >> exactly who in the white house betrayed these secrets? >> reporter: romney used his speech to blast the president for a series of national security leaks romney said were politically driven to help the
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president. hanging his stepped up attacks on new comments from the democratic senate intelligence chairwoman diane finestein. >> i think the white house has to understand that some of this is coming from its ranks. >> did a superior authorize it? these are things that americans are entitled to know and they're entitled to know it now. if the president believes as he said last week that the buck stops with him, then he owes all americans a full and prompt accounting of the facts. the time for stonewalling is over. >> reporter: that's the kick. here's the kicker. >> what white house would reveal classified material for political gain? i'll tell you right now, mine will not. >> reporter: feinstein reported being stewed. romney also stirred up a crowd pleaser for veterans of this
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audience warning against $50 billion in budget cuts to defense next year. >> we're just months away from an arbitrary across the board budget reduction that would saddle the military with a trillion dollars in cuts. severely shrink our force structure. and impair our ability to meet and deter threats. don't bother by the way trying to find a serious military rationale behind any of that unless that rationale is wishful thinking. strategy is not driving the president's massive defense cuts. >> reporter: despite romney's aim at the president, the reality is those cuts were not simply a presidential strategy. they come from a debt reduction compromise romney's fellow republicans voted for. >> did we get 100% of the discretionary cuts we were looking for? no. we got two-thirds. that's better than zero. >> reporter: 175 house republicans, 72% of them, voted for $110 billion in spending cuts. half of which come from defense. in the senate, more than half of republican senators 29 voted for
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the cuts. and this foreign policy speech was meant for romney to pivot to the world stage because he is about to go on a trip to europe and to israel. on those notes, wolf, there are a couple of highlights he accused the president of treating israel in a shabby way. and on iran he seemed to take a bit further step in defining his own policy saying he wants to have nothing short of full suspension of uranium. and one more issue i think is note worthy and that is afghanistan, he said that he wants to completely transition to afghan security forces by the end of 2014. wolf. >> you know, dana, in our next hour we're going to have a major debate between a romney and obama supporter of foreign policy. robert wex ler and dan see nor. they disagree especially when it comes to what romney said about president obama's position on israel. standby for that, dana bash on the scene in reno. earlier this month an
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expedition set out to solve the mystery of the flier, amelia ere hart. and later, secretary of state hillary clinton's dire warning about maas trosties going on in syria right now. do you see it ?
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it locks in power for up to 10 years in storage. guaranteed. duralock. coming soon to every duracell battery. a new study shows nearly one in ten u.s. employers may drop health insurance coverage for their workers. lisa sylvester's monitoring that story, some of the other top
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stories in "the situation room" right now. what's going on, lisa? >> hi there, wolf. the study shows most companies with 50 or more employees aren't ready to implement the new health care reform law. and while 9% plan to drop coverage in the next one to three years, 81% of companies, that's accounting for 84% of the u.s. work force, will keep offering insurance. nearly two-thirds of the employers surveyed don't like the health care system as it is now. two former editors of rupert murdoch's defunct news of the world british tabloid will face criminal charges and the possibility of jail time. rebecca brooks and andy coalson, a former communications director for the british prime minister, will be charged next month in connection with their newspaper's alleged hacking into the phones and voice mail of celebrities and crime victims. and we learned today the members of a new scientific expedition did not solve the mystery of aviation pioneer amelia earhart's disappearance back in 1937. based on this photo and other
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evidence, searchers had hoped to find the wreckage of her plane just off a remote island in the pacific ocean, but sad to say they didn't. and now they are returning to hawaii. as you know, if you've seen in today's google doodle, this is the 115th anniversary of earhart's birth. wolf. >> thank you very much, lisa. a disturbing warning today from the secretary of state hillary clinton. she says a small group of nations is blocking efforts to stop mass atrocities in syria right now. and she's naming names. standby for that. and later, something president barack obama and mitt romney have in common, it's very rare in presidential races.
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today in a special conference here in washington on preventing genocide and mass atrocities against civilians, the secretary of state hillary clinton singled out the situation in syria. >> as the assad regime continues its bloody assault on its own people despite crippling sanctions, condemnation, increasing political pressure, they have found support primarily from iran, russia and china. we are sending a message to the syrian regime and making clear that there will be consequences
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for their actions. but i have to say that we are also increasing our efforts to assist the opposition. this is a very complicated and difficult set of circumstances on the ground. and yet we know that the sooner it ends, the less violence there will be and the less chance for extremism to take hold. >> the secretary's remarks taking on added significance. she was speaking at the u.s. holocaust memorial museum here in washington at a symposium co-sponsored with the council on foreign relations and cnn. cnn's arwa damon was there, i was there. it was an emotional day. a lot of concern, arwa, that bashar al assad, the president of syria, might -- repeat might, use chemical or biological warfare against his own people in an act of desperation or
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whatever. is that -- you covered this from the beginning. is that at all realistic? >> at this point in time, wolf, i mean any situation in syria is a possibility. this is a government that is not even trying to deny that it possesses these chemical and biological weapons. this is a government already threatened to use them against any sort of external threat. this is a government that many describe as being irrational, schizophrenic. and when backed into this corner most certainly anything is possible. not a concern that the weapons can be used against the syrian population, but of course also the concern that they could end up in the hands of extremist and then put to who knows what sort of devastating use. >> as we remember the iraqis under saddam hussein in the 80s used chemical weapons against the kurds in the northern part of iraq. they were at war with iraq. it wouldn't be the first time we've seen these kinds of atrocities. but with the social media factor right now, it would be presumably we'd get the video,
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we'd get the images, it would be out there on facebook, youtube, twitter, the whole world would be watching. >> would be watching, yes. but, again, that goes down to the whole issue of what would they then be able to do. would an act like that actually force unity when it comes to the global stage and handling the issue on syria? secretary clinton in those remarks she made earlier was talking about america's moral responsibility to prevent these sort of mass atrocities from taking place. we also learned at this -- during this event was that the u.s., according to a poll, americans are in fact slightly more than half of them willing to see the u.s. take on some sort of military intervention if it's part of a coalition in syria. so the factors do exist where the u.s. could possibly lead this type of an effort. a lot of opposition activists have been messaging me on twitter asking, well, if all these factors exist, then what is the u.s. and world waiting for? >> we've seen some horrible atrocities over the past 24/48 hours in iraq right now. now, we're not paying a whole
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lot of attention to iraq, all u.s. troops are out of iraq, but dozens and dozens of people have been slaughtered in iraq. here's the question, is there a connection to what's going on in iraq right now and what's going on in syria? >> a lot of iraqis, a lot of analysts, will tell you there most certainly is. in iraq in a single day yesterday you had 35 attacks across seven provinces leaving more than 100 people dead. the thing is is that as long as instability exists in syria along these sectarian shiite fault lines that gets translated into iraq. al qaeda exterminated in iraq, no. there are some indications that it is resurging in iraq and then exporting itself and some of its expertise into syria. this power vacuum exists not just in syria but across the entire region that lends itself for the re-emergence for groups like al qaeda, shia extremists as well. most certainly everything that happens inside the middle east
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is tied. >> you're an amazing reporter. i've said this to you many times. you're here in washington right now you came in for the conference at the holocaust memorial museum. you've covered the warfare in iraq from the beginning in 2003, then you were in libya and egypt, syria, you're based in beirut. i get a lot of e-mails from viewers and tweets, how do you do it? give us a sentence or two. >> you do it because it is our fundamental obligation as members of the global community to go out there to the best of our capacities and we have the responsibility of going out there, covering what's happening, covering the human stories, the mother that's lost her child, the fher that's going to grow up without a son and translate that into something that is eventually going to bring about awareness and accountability. and doing that, being able to do that, it fulfills a fundamental sense of purpose and obligation. >> you're doing an amazing job for all of our viewers. >> thank you. >> i know you're headed back to the region.
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came back for this symposium. good luck over there. arwa damon, proud to say she works for cnn. the obama campaign's just changed its advertising tactics. coming up in our strategy session, the president's new tone and new target. later, something mitt romney and barack obama have in common. something we haven't seen in a presidential race for nearly 70 years. the medicare debate continues in washington... ...more talk on social security... ...but washington isn't talking to the american people. [ female announcer ] when it comes to the future of medicare and social security, you've earned the right to know. ♪ ...so what does it mean for you and your family? [ female announcer ] you've earned the facts. ♪ washington may not like straight talk, but i do. [ female announcer ] and you've earned a say. get the facts and make your voice heard on medicare and social security
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the ad wars in the race for the white house certainly heating up right now. the latest skirmish is over this mitt romney ad that uses president obama's own words against him. >> if you got a business, you didn't build that. somebody else made that happen.
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>> my father's hands didn't build this company. my hands didn't build this company. my son's hands aren't building this company. did somebody else take out the loan on my father's house to finance the equipment? >> let's bring in our white house correspondent, brianna keilar, she's traveling with the president right now in portland, oregon. brianna, how is the obama campaign responding? it's a very, very tough romney ad? >> reporter: that's right, wolf. there are a couple new ads where for the first time this election cycle president obama is talking directly to the camera. in one of them it's a rebuttal of that romney ad that you just played. we just got our hands on it so we're trying to turn it around for you. in it president obama says those ads taking my words about small businesses out of context are flat out wrong. he says of course americans build their own businesses. and president obama also slammed mitt romney on this very topic last night at a fundraiser in oakland. >> we don't have that sound
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bite, unfortunately. maybe we'll cue it up later. the ad wars in colorado, the aftermath of the shooting there, both campaigns took down their ads for a while. what's the latest on that front? >> reporter: we understand, wolf, from the obama campaign that ads will be going back upcoming on saturday. of course the question we all have is what kind of ads are we talking about? so many ads both the obama and romney campaigns have been running are very negative. we're expecting at this point as they decide what ads go back up that one of the ads will be this one called choices that was put out today. it's a bit of a softer one. certainly president obama talks about mitt romney, but you wouldn't characterize this as an attack ad. he's looking directly at the camera. so i think obviously the campaign is afraid. and you'll see this from both campaigns, to do something that might be perceived as tasteless. so that's why they're going perhaps at least with this more soft ad. >> i think that's smart. especially in colorado. thanks, brianna.
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she's traveling with the president. let's discuss what's going on in our strategy session right now with democratic strategist and cnn politil contributor hilary rosen and erick erickson, cnn contributor and editor and chief of redstate.com. smart strategy on the president's part to have a low key-key i'm worried about you just looking straight into the camera kind of ad in colorado right now as opposed to the more hard-hitting negative attack ads we've seen so frequently, hilary? >> well, i don't think it's just that it's about smart strategy. i think what this ad says, and it's called the choice, people haven't seen it, you can pull it up on youtube or cnn.com, is that the president is really talking about a positive vision. and he's saying, you know what, this isn't an election about attack ads. the tag line is politics may seem small, but the choices you face have never been bigger. and the choices, a, an administration that gives tax
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cuts to the wealthy and rolls back regulations on banks versus what his vision is, which is to support the middle class through additional tax cuts or education through investment and domestic energy. and that's, i think, where the president wants to be. that's his sweet spot is being thoughtful, you know, comparative and tough but really having a conversation with the american people. >> it coincides with james carville's new line as you know, erick, it's the middle class, stupid. he co-wrote a book about that. this ad would appear to be consistent with that. >> yeah. it is, wolf. the most striking thing to me on both sides of this though is that neither the obama campaign nor the romney campaign is yet to find a consistent meage. they've been shaking them up, which you can do during the summer in a campaign because there really aren't a lot of people paying attention right now. and the obama campaign can actually get more ads on tv, most of romney's ads have been web ads, because he doesn't have
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the general election fund yet since he's not officially the nominee. neither side has come up with a compelling consistent narrative in their commercials. frankly even the republican super pacs, a lot of people inside the romney campaign have commented that paul begala -- the republican super pac, not so much. >> let's switch gears for a moment. erick, this time i'll start with you. i'll read your latest piece that you said, gun control is a fool's errand, why do you say that? >> because, wolf, it's very much like pandora's box. we've seen in chicago, we've seen in washington, d.c., we've seen around the country that the people who hand in guns when you do gun control are law-abiding citizens. the criminals keep the guns. we saw during the assault weapons ban from the 1990s is what happened is manufacturers just changed the specs on guns to make them slightly different from the legal parameters that were banned so in effect they
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were still selling the same guns, just the sights were different and the capacity was slightly different. it's extremely difficult to put guns back in pandora's box. it's just not going to happen. >> hilary, listen to what mitt romney said on cnbc last night. >> i still believe that the second amendment is the right course to preserve and defend and don't believe that new laws are going to make a difference in this type of tragedy. there were of course very stringent laws which existed in aurora, colorado. >> you expect that we'll be hearing something really significant substantiative on gun control from president obama any time soon? >> no. i don't. i think they may talk about more enforcement and things like trying to find ways to prevent people from buying 6,000 rounds of ammunition online without anybody, you know, raising a question. i think that generally the issue of gun control ends up being a fool's errand because even when we get it like the assault
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weapons ban that erick talked about, which i believe ought to be reinstated, there were so many loopholes in it that it was really only affecting one or two rifles and people did actually manufacture around it. but the first thing we'd have to agree on are a bunch of principles that there's no reason for individuals to be able to buy guns that have, you know, hundred rounds of automatic bullets that come out in seconds. that's not sport. that's not traditional hunting. there's no rationale for it. but we have seen those kinds of weapons be extremely effective and extremely dangerous in crisis situations. >> erick, we're out of time, but very quickly respond to hilary. >> yeah. you know, i think we need to get right down to the facts that we're not going to see guns spitting out hundreds of rounds in a few seconds. i mean, we can't put it back in the box. they will manufacture rounded and we do have the second amendment. >> we'll continue this debate.
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it's not going away. the presidential candidates may not want to discuss it, but we'll diuss it here in "the situation room," i am sure. hilary rosen, erick erickson, guys, thanks very much for coming in. there's something different about this presidential race that hasn't been seen in almost 70 years. neither candidate has direct military experience. we're taking a closer look at what that might mean come november. and in our new 6:00 p.m. eastern hour, my interview with bill gates. why the fight against aids has brought him right now here to washington. talk to your doctor about viagra. ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take viagra if you take nitrates for chest pain; it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. side effects include headache, flushing, upset stomach, and abnormal vision. to avoid long-term injury, seek immediate medical help for an erection lasting more than four hours. stop taking viagra and call your doctor right away if you experience a sudden decrease or loss in vision or hearing. this is the age of taking action. viagra. talk to your doctor.
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for decades they've been a staple of presidential campaigns, ads touting the candidates' military records. but not this year. in fact, this is the first white house race in more than three
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generations in which neither candidate has any direct military experience. our pentagon correspondent, chris lawrence, is joining us now with more on this part of the story. chris, what are you learning? >> well, wolf, a couple hours ago mitt romney went before a room full of veterans to make his case for the presidency. and what's really shaping up to be one of the most unique races in generations. does boot camp still matter to veterans casting ballots? >> it does every time i go to vote at every level. i look at if you're a veteran or not and if you got a background. >> reporter: but this election neither candidate has ever served in the military. >> if i become commander in chief, the united states of america will fulfill its destiny and its duty. >> we've got the best trained, best led, best equipped military in history. and as commander and chief i am going to keep it that way. >> reporter: it's a choice american voters haven't faced in
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nearly 70 years when roosevelt ran against dewey. >> that's why they have the joint chiefs of staff. that's why they have their advisors who know what they're doing, okay. so that doesn't bother me at all. >> reporter: so mitt romney can talk tough on iran and not be criticized for getting deferments during vietnam the w way bill clinton was 20 years ago. >> i think it puts romney pretty much where most americans are. they didn't go to war. they haven't been out in the battlefield. >> reporter: but political analysts say voters still want to believe a candidate can command america's soldiers and spies. >> he doesn't have to jump over that hurdle. being president for four years, having him make some foreign policy decisions, authorizing drone strikes, for example, that's enough of a credential for him. >> reporter: but a may gallup poll shows veterans supporting romney 38% to 54%. >> governor romney can say he
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can oversee managing large organizations and it can really at the end of the day make the right call. >> reporter: and maybe in some ways we all should have seen this coming, obama beat john mccain. before that george w. bush, a national guardsman, defeated vietnam veterans john kerry and al gore. and bill clinton took out two war heroes, bob dole in the first -- >> interesting stuff. chris lawrence, good reporting. coming up by the way in our next hour, banning the big gulp. the controversial effort in new york city to outlaw those supersize sodas. in our new 6:00 p.m. eastern hour later here in "the situation room," survivors of the colorado theater massacre, they are speaking out in emotional interviews today including one who tried to save the youngest victim. building pass, corporate card, verizon 4g lte phone.
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...we inspected his brakes for free. free is good. free is very good. my money. my choice. my meineke. jack's back with the cafferty file, jack. >> question, wolf, is it more important for the president to be able to handle the economy or to be likable? jenny writes i would vote for oscar the grouch if he gets the economy back on track. is he running? it's difficult to get elected if you're not likable and it's difficult to help the economy if you're not elected. our president should be able to walk and chew gum at the same time. allen in placerville, california, why should we have to like them? the economy's what's important. fix that and people will like you. tony writes it's more important for the president to be able to handle the economy being likable doesn't put food on the table. ron in florida says the presidential election's the
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biggest popularity contest of all time. ability has nothing to do with it. if you have the ability to get nominated, you have the ability to run the free world. likability is what you have to have to get nominated, the economy is an afterthought. lee in pennsylvania says i'm obama's age. i would likely voted for him for prom king if i'd gone to high school with him. but putting a man in crge of the largest budget in human history when all he'd ever done was balance a checkbook just wasn't smart. and cliff in new york writes, jack, use your own experience as a gauge. how does acrotchty degrated new yorker prosper through a distinguished decades long caree career. competence always trumps likability. thanks, i think. go to cnn.com/caffertyfile. back handed compliments. >> was cliff describing you, jack? >> i think that's what he was
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trying to get at there, yeah. >> all right. jack cafferty -- >> i don't know where he gets that. >> fuzzy would be the words i used. >> very sentimental. >> that too. >> jack, thank you. and you're in "the situation room." happening now, a huge spike in gun sales. ahead, a look at thousands of new background checks conducted in the days since the deadly colorado massacre. also, horrifying cases of abuse in an afghan hospital funded by millions and millions of dollars, u.s. taxpayer dollars to be sure. now congress hears firsthand accounts of the allegations that senior military officials tried to stop an investigation. and a rare event here in washington, d.c. for the first time if two decades the global aids conference comes to the united states. our own dr. sanjay gupta is there. i'll speak with him this hour. we want to welcome our viewers in the united states and around the world. i'm wolf blitzer. you're in "the situation room."
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we begin in aurora, colorado wrrks 15 of the 58 wounded in friday's deadly massacre remain hospitalized. five of them in critical condition. police are tight lipped about the nvrgs into the accused shooter, james holmes. but we're learning alarming new details about the scene inside his once booby trapped apartment. one official now telling cnn the wiring looked like spaghetti, the kind of setup you'd see on the front lines of iraq or afghanistan. cnn's jim spellman is in aurora, colorado, at an improvised memorial where the focus isn't on the suspect but on the victims. >> reporter: wolf, i want to show you a little about what's happening in the community.
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this is a makeshift memorial right across from the theater. stted with this single sign gone but not forgotten. since then it's been growing. everyday there's flowers, stuffed animals, many of the candles burn 24 hours a day. come here at night the memorial is completely lit up. even on the sidewalk, wolf, chalk. people leaving their messages. it stretches all the way down. i think this sign is particularly interesting. real heroes wear badges, not capes. a nod to the first responders that showed up in a matter of minutes. look up here wolf, at the top of the hill, a cross for every one of the victims here. people have been coming by here constantly here, night and day, to drop off signs, flowers, candles, personalized messages. there have been prayer circles here. and people come just to pay their respects and be sure that the focus remains on the victims and the spirit of this community and not on that suspect, wolf. >> jim spellman in aurora, colorado, thank you. that deadly massacre in colorado
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appears to be having a huge impact on gun sales in the united states. cnn's crime and justice correspondent joe johns is here in "the situation room" working this part of the story. what have we seen since last friday? >> wolf, these are the first publicly released numbers that we know of suggesting a trend in people trying to purchase guns legally in the state of colorado after the theater shooting in aurora early friday morning. if the numbers are correct, there was a big spike in business and gun stores over the weekend. the colorado bureau of investigation has a unit that does background checks to determine whether perspective gun buyers have criminal records or some other red flag that would disqualify them from getting firearms. last friday, saturday and sunday they report there was a 43% spike in the number of approvals for firearms compared with the average for those days in the month of july. we're talking about 2,887 approvals compared with the average of just over 2,000 for the month.
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remember, a background check doesn't necessarily mean a gun was sold. but it's certainly a good indicator. and we've checked in with a few gun stores in colorado. and whether they're seeing this spike probably depends on what store you ask. for example, the rocky mountain guns and ammo in parker, colorado, says it is seeing a spike. and not just in sales but also in foot traffic in general. for example, classes to learn how to shoot a firearm have sold out for the next two and a half months. >> how unusual is this? have we ever seen something as dramatic as this? >> we have, wolf. there have been some examples of spikes in gun sales after mass shootings. most notably in virginia after the horrific shooting at virginia tech years ago. if you're wondering whether there has been a spike nationally, that information will not be released by the federal government until after the end of july. >> and the theory is that in the aftermath of an incident like this, a lot of gun owners, they want to buy additional ammunition, get more guns in case there's tighter gun control they won't be able to get it down the road. that's the fear. they want to load up, if you
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will, right now? >> absolutely. that's one of the theories in play here that people want to make sure they have their firearms in case you see tougher, stiffer regulations coming down the pike later. >> joe johns, thanks for that report. appreciate it very much. let's go to syria right now where the death toll is climbing with at least 80 people believe dead just today. military forces have reportedly mopped up entire neighborhoods in damascus, this as the new government threatens using chemical warfare. those threats are heightening concerns around the worl cnn's pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, is joining us with new information on the chemical weapons stockpiles in syria. barbara, we've heard officials say they're to be used and i'm quoting the official, of external aggression. there are reports that the weapons e being moved around the country. what have you learned? >> well, wolf, u.s. officials are indicating to us their best
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asayssessment at the moment. and there's no solid information. they're assessment is syria's been moving some of these weapons around because of the increasing violence, they want to move them to more secure positions. but as you just said, small comfort because of the threats of possibly using them. the u.s. has sent messages to syria using the russians at the highest level saying don't even think about it. and they are hoping the syrians get the message. but it is the israelis on the sidelines that are moving closer to being concerned and possibly taking action. i want you to listen again to israeli president shimon perez and his interview with elise labott just a few days ago about all of this. >> both to use them and -- you fight against it. you stop them. and syrians must be aware that
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what they do is against international law. and then they -- lives so shall not remain indifferent and tell them to do what you want. >> how far are you prepared to go? >> until they stop being a danger. >> u.s. officials telling us they are getting the very clear message from israelis, if israel feels it is threatened by syria's chemical weapons, israel will take action against them. that's the message the u.s. is hearing. it's very unsettling. u.s. officials say they are now talking to allies, talking at the highest levels of the obama administration almost around the clock, wolf, about the situation in syria. >> it is very hard though to attack a chemical stockpile, if you will, these nerve agents, sarin gas, poison gas, what is the u.s. doing? what kind of strategy would it take to destroy these stockpiles? that's easier said than done.
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>> much easier said than done. just look at the map, wolf. these sites in syria are widely disbursed heavily protected by all accounts by syria's very formidable air defense system. the radars and missiles that syria has that could shoot down planes coming into its air space to attack these sites, that goes for whether it's u.s. war planes, unlikely, israeli war planes perhaps more likely. so all countries are facing the same dilemma about trying to get into syrian air space to deal with this in a military fashion if, if it came to that. very interestingly some u.s. officials are saying that the israelis will have a way to get in if they have to. possibly we can assume it's israeli, you know, special operations teams or israeli commandos. but, look, there's nearly three dozen sites across syria. it's a very tough proposition. >> certainly is. very dangerous as well. barbara, thank you. by the way, we'll have a lot
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more on syria in our brand new 6:00 p.m. eastern hour including a special report from our own ivan watson. he is now inside syria, one of the few reporters who has managed to get inside syria. we'll have ivan in "the situation room" coming up in our 6:00 p.m. eastern hour. other news we're following, patients wounded and starving. surgeries with no painkillers. ahead, the u.s. congress hears about horrifying cases of abuse at an afghan hospital funded with millions and millions of u.s. taxpayer dollars. plus, our own dr. sanjay gupta sits down with the only person known in the world to have been healed -- healed of the virus that causes aids. sanjay here to join us in washington. after a few days of quiet on the campaign trail, mitt romney on this day comes out swinging. >> the president has diminished american leadership. and we're reaping the consequences. le spirit present. it's the priceline negotiator.
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jack cafferty's here with the cafferty file. jack. >> wolf, with the mandatory federal spending cuts looming on the horizon, some republicans are now saying we ought to cut 10% of the federal work force instead of cutting the defense budget. writing in politico, congressman tom price of georgia and congresswoman of missouri warn that the planned defense cuts would have devastating consequences, their words. they say it would mean layoffs for more than 200,000 members of the military in effect downsizing our military to the lowest levels in decades. they say we could be risking our national security if we can't keep up militarily with the rest of the world. the house armed services committee chairman describes the defense cuts coming their way as being past cutting the fat, past cutting the muscle, now we're cutting into the bone, he said. price and hartsler argue for a house republican plan that would postpone these defense cuts for one year. they would do this by trimming the federal work force by 10%
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through attrition. in other words, for every three federal workers who leave their jobs, fedel departments could only hire one worker to replace them. no secret the federal work force has long been criticized as bloated and inefficient and could probably stand a haircut. meanwhile, these upcoming spending cuts all go back to that so-called super committee's inability to agree on a deficit reduction plan. its failure meant $1.2 trillion in across the board cuts over the next decade. about $120 billion a year. and about half of those are going to effect the defense budget. meanwhile, these cuts don't even begin to put a dent in government spending. we are still running annual deficits of more than a trillion dollars. these cuts about $120 billion a year over ten years. here's the question. should we cut 10% of federal workers instead of cutting defense? go to cnn.com/caffertyfile and post a comment on my blog. or go to my post on the "the situation room" facebook page. $11 trillion economy every year
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and we're wringing our hands over $120 billion in cuts. >> yep. >> amazing. >> good point, jack. thank you. thanks very much. meanwhile, protesters are tying hundreds of red ribbons to the gates over at the white house. a symbol of their rally cry. more funding and increased treatments for aids patients. they're rallying at the international aids conference that's going on right now here in washington, d.c. and today's focus has been on the cure. our chief medical correspondent, dr. sanjay gupta, is here in washington covering this conference for us. sanjay, first of all, you spoke to tim brown today, he's the only man in the world who went from being hiv positive to being cured. is that right? >> reporter: that is right, wolf. and, you know, it's interesting because, you know, scientists are often reluctant, as you know, to use that word. but that's the word they're using when describing tim brown. his story is an interesting one. he had hiv. he developed aids. and then he developed leukemia
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on top of all that, wolf. imagine as part of his treatment for leukemia, he got a bone marrow transplant. and researchers believe that bone marrow trsplant, besides treating his leukemia, also taught cells in his body to become resistant to the hiv virus. i spoke to him earlier today, wolf. he's here as part of this conference to talk about the secure agenda. here's how he put it to me. does that mean you have no symptoms? you have no virus? how do you describe it? >> i quit taking my hiv medication on the day i got my first transplant. unfortunately, the leukemia came back and so i had to get a second transplant about a year later. and after the first transplant, i did very well. i gained muscle weight and went back to work. and everything was great. but the leukemia came back. my hiv was gone after like three months after the first round.
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totally e rradicated from my bo. >> completely gone. >> yeah. completely gone. >> reporter: now, wolf, as you might imagine, doing a bone marrow transplant isn't feasible in all patients who have hiv. but this idea that they could learn something from tim brown, i mean, he has been studied extensively as you might imagine. is there something that his body did that could be, you know, the genesis of a new therapy? that's a big focus of the discussion here at this conference, wolf. >> you've been at the conference all day, sanjay. it is a global conference. so what are some of the other new things you're seeing on the horizon as far as hiv/aids are concerned? >> reporter: there's a couple of big ones, wolf. one is a big milestone. if you look back sort of over the last 30 years, there really hasn't been a medication for prevention. a lot of medications to treat, there's a medication known here -- you can't see this bottle, but it's a medication that's been out for some time as a treatment for hiv. just this past week they
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approved it as a medication to prevent hiv/aids as well. reduces the risk of infection by over 46% they say. wolf, i want to show you something quick. i think this is very important. one of the big things about hiv/aids is people are simply fearful of getting tested. there's a lot of stigma around this disease. this is an at-home hiv test. it comes out in october of this year. it just got fda approved. really quickly, wolf, again, this is important. this is a mouth swab. swab the top and bottom of your mouth and put this in here and after about 20 minutes it will tell you if you have presence of the hiv virus in your blood. it's about 92% accurate, wolf. they think it will cost somewhere between $20 and $40. this is a big deal. these are big deals in the world of aids. simply getting people tested and then possibly treated obviously very important, wolf. >> could save their lives, obviously. very, very important indeed. quickly, let me turn the corner, sanjay, while i have you. we heard an amazing story out in
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colorado. a 22-year-old woman whose family says she was struck in the head with a bullet in that movie theater, but because of a brain birth defect, she actually survived with no brain damage. you're a neurosurgeon, how in the world could this happen? does it sound realistic it you? >> reporter: it is realistic. it's unusual. and it's one of these things where some patients, wolf, actually -- i think what they're describing is a natural fluid-filled space in the brain. you have brain matter obviously, but there are fluid-filled spaces. sometimes, wolf, i think there are some images here i can show you. i don't know if you're looking at them now, but you see a normal brain on one side. and then what's known as a cavum septum on the other side. you don't need to remember that name, but it's a large fluid-filled space almost directly in the center of the brain. there's something here even more common although these are both rare, someone more common known
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as arachnoid cyst. imagine if someone was injured, got a bullet injury to the brain and landed in one of those fluid-filled spaces. look quickly over here, wolf, the bullet from my understanding and reading the same accounts as you did was sort of in the center of the brain, go down the center of the brain and land in one of those fluid-filled spaces without causing much damage to the brain. a rare but a happily sort of rare thing. this is something that could save somebody's life. less than 10% of people who are shot in the head survive their injuries. obviously a very important thing for her. >> her name is petra anderson. i know you haven't treated this woman. what if what her family says is true, what would be her prognosis? >> reporter: well, you know, in those fluid-filled areas of the brain, wolf, there's no sort of functioning brain.
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you're not damaging any part of the brain. it's possible the wounds she suffered, she may not have any long-term brain damage. they'll have to wait and see. usually takes several days if not weeks to determine that for sure. it could be a pretty extraordinary thing. i talk today a few of my colleagues who are also trauma neurosurgeons. i had seen something similar to this when i was a resident. it's a rare thing. but, again, it's possiblshe has a full recovery. >> i hope she does. it's an amazing, amazing story. sanjay's over at the aids conference here in washington. by the way in my next hour my interview with bill gates, he's there giving away a lot of money to help deal with this crisis around the world. my special interview with bill gates, i was there yesterday. we sat down and spoke. that's coming up in our new 6:00 p.m. eastern hour. sanjay, thanks so much for what you're doing. >> reporter: thank you, wolf. thank you. mitt romney seeing a surge in popularity on twitter. but some say there's no way he gained over 140,000 followers in just two days. we're assessing. and a crumbling wall of mud
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complicates a rescue mission. up next you're going to see how crews saved a driver stuck in the rushing water. stay with us. you're in "the situation room." ñ
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iraq is reeling after the deadliest day in the country this year. lisa sylvester's monitoring this and some other top stories in "the situation room" right now. so what happened? >> wolf, 103 people are dead and more than 260 wounded in a wave of attacks that range from shootings and assassinations to car bombings and roadside explosions. no one has taken responsibility for monday's violence, but officials at the interior ministry say the attacks bear the hallmark of al qaeda in
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iraq. and a catholic cleric in philadelphia will spend up to six years in prison for covering up sex abuse claims against a priest. that falls just short of the maximum sentence for monsignor who is the first u.s. church leader to be convicted of child endangerment for failing to stop abuse. at today's sentencing the judge said he enabled monsters in cleric garb. and something strange going on with mitt romney's twitter account. it looks like he added more than 140,000 followers in just two days according to twitter counter. just take a look at that jump. it's huge considering that the republican presidential candidate typically gains about 3,000 or 4,000 followers a day. his campaign says it's not manipulating the numbers. and it has reached out to twitter for answers. and a dramatic rescue in flood-drenched china. two cars and a wedding caravan plunged 30 feet into a raging river when a bridge collapsed leaving one driver stuck in his
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crushed car. in spite of the mud slides and rain, rescuers made it down and lifted the driver out. you see the pictures there. fortunately, with no life-threatening injuries. what dramatic pictures. lucky they did not have any fatalities. >> it was a wedding? >> a wedding caravan. you have the cars, vehicles going across this bridge, bridge gives way and you saw the results there. the two cars plunged in. they were able to pull them to safety. amazing when you see those pictures. >> yep. >> we often say this dramatic pictures, but those truly are. >> thank you, lisa. thanks very much. $150 million u.s. taxpayer money going to fund a hospital in afghanistan where doctors demanded bribes, performed surgeries without painkillers. you're going to hear what whistleblowers are now saying. and mitt romney gives a bruising speech slamming the president on foreign policy. but will it stick? stay with us. a major debate on that subject
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coming up right here in "the situation room." this is new york state.
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destructive, chaotic. and the two men running to be your commander and chief must offer their answers to the challenges we face. >> tough words from mitt romney slamming president obama on defense and foreign policy, this on the eve of an international trip that will take him to britain, israel an poland. he was speaking at a veterans convention in reno, nevada, just one day after president obama spoke before the same group. let's talk about what's going on, just how far apart are president obama and mitt romney on defense and foreign policy issues. joining us now dan senor, foreign policy advisor for the romney campaign and former democratic robert weather conditions robert wexler a supporter of obama. when it comes to israel, mitt romney was very tough on the president. i'll play the clip and then robert wexler, i want you to
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respond. but just listen to this. >> i'm going to be leaving reno this evening on a trip abroad. it will take me to england, poland and israel. and since i wouldn't venture into another country to question american foreign policy, i'll tell you right here before i leave what i think of this administration's shabby treatment of one of our finest friends. president obama is fond of lecturing israel's leaders. he's -- he was even caught by a microphone deriding them. he's undermined their position, which was tough enough as it was. and even at the united nations to the enthusiastic applause of israel's enemies, he spoke as if our closest ally in the middle east was the problem. the people of israel deserve better than what they received from the leader of the free world. and the chorus of accusations and threats and insults at the united nations should never again include the voice of the
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president of the united states. >> all right. robert wexler, like dan senor, you're a very strong supporter of israel. you want to respond briefly to what the -- what romney just said about the president? >> sure. governor romney is flat wrong, the military strategic intelligence information between the united states and israel has never been stronger than under president obama's leadership. whether we're talking about m missile defense, defense in the united nations, president obama made the most pro-israel speech in the united nations that any president has ever made this past fall. i hope when governor romney visits israel he'll go to the town right on the border of gaza and ask the citizens of -- the residents of sterot how they feel about american assistance to israel to develop the finest technology that is protecting israeli citizens all across southern israel from the threat from hamas and islamic jihad and
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others. whether it is standing up for israel at the united nations, whether it's standing up for israel's right of self-defense regarding the flotilla, whether it's opposing the goldstone report or keeping us out of a i antisimatic conferences, this president has stood with israel in the defense of american interest. you want to quibble with that, dan? >> sure. governor romney has been there, he was there last january. in fact this will be his fourth trip to israel. he's declared his first trip as president will be to israel. i think what robert and i would agree on is that there is good military cooperation between the idf and the pentagon today. the problem is is the diplomatic isolation that israel is subjected to in the world, which undermines its security, has been largely driven by this administration quite explicitly. in july of 2009 president obama as was reported in "the wall
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street journal" just a couple weeks ago, president obama told a group of jewish leaders in the white house that he intended to pursue daylight between israel and the united states. that the u.s. and israel had been too close in the previous years. later on in 2010 his secretary of defense said that israel had isolated itself in the arab world. israel was responsible for its isolation. and you played that of governor romney saying behind closed doors trashing the prime minister of israel. what happens is the president makes these statements and they get echoed by israel's adversaries around the world further isolating israel. strategic cooperation is important except when it's compromised by the diplomatic isolation the president has subjected israel too. >> go ahead, robert wexler. >> a year ago the secretary of defense of israel, ahud barack talked about a political tsunami that would potentially overwhelm
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the state of israel and he was referring to the palestinian declaration -- unilateral declaration of statehood at the united nations. who defeated that? president obama essentially single handedly stopped the palestinians from obtaining unilateral statehood declaration at the united nations because of his extraordinarily pro-israel speech, because of his ability to develop and use our alliances with our european allies and others to stand up for americans and america's interest which in this case was israel's interest. >> i want you to respond -- hold on, dan. >> i got to respond right to that. >> you will respond. but in the context of this other statement that mitt romney made today at this veterans of foreign wars convention in reno, when it came to iran, which as both of you guys well know is israel's major concern right now a nuclear iran, listen to romney. >> now, there's no greater danger in the world today than
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the prospect of iotollas in iran obtaining nuclear capacity, all the talks and assurances, can anyone say we're really further from this danger now than we were four years ago? if i become commander and chief, i will use every means necessary to protect ourselves and the region and to prevent the worst from happening while there's still time. >> all right. dan, you've studied this issue well. so has robert wexler. here's the question specifically, what would a romney presidency do differently as far as iran and its nuclear program than the obama presidency is doing right now? >> sure. first of all, as he said today, he would demand that any deal with iran involve zero enrichment. not 3% plus, 0%. secondly, he would make it clear that there are serious consequences for iran not engaging in a full cessation of
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full uranium enrichment. right now it's gone out of the way to protect what it fears most -- in fact, the threat in the eyes of the iranians in military force is alternative to them seizing the enrichment uranium program is not credible. thirdly, lock arms with the israeli leaders and make it clear to the iranians that the brazen threats in cases like we've seen over the last couple weeks, attacks, is something we view as an attack on us. we would lock arms with the israelis in very symbolic ways instead of trying to have it both ways, which is this public distancing of israel, which you've seen from this administration repeatedly over the last few years. >> go ahead and respond, robert. >> president obama has made it abundantly clear that iran will not become a nuclear weapon power under his watch. no ifs, no ands, no butts.
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today as we speak there are over of o1,000 finest troops stationed in kuwait. also british and french forces are poised to be a part of any operation that would be required. president obama has usher in the most serious comprehensive set of sanctions against iran that any nation has faced in the history of the world. the truth is the answer to your question, wolf, in terms of what would a president romney do differently than a president obama with respect to iran? nothing. because the fact of the matter is president obama is doing everything humanly possible to stop the iranian nuclear weapon quest. >> i'm sorry. i just got to respond to that. look, congressman wexler, the sanctions you are taking credit for and the administration is taking credit for, the administration fought every step of the way. congressional leaders from both parties. look at senator mennen dez, raked them over the coals for
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stonewalling the sanctions for iran central bank. it's wonderful the sanctions are in place today, it's three years to do #too late. why didn't president obama pursue these in his first year? he didn't pursue them when congressional leaders tried to -- here we are today with important sanctions in place but really late in the process. >> unfortunately we're out of time. robert, go ahead. >> president obama kept on president bush's treasury officials to keep the sanctions program not only alive but expanded with much more bold action. >> then why are democrats criticizing the administration saying -- >> hold on, guys. >> why are congressional democrats criticizing the administration's slow pace on this? if what you're saying is true -- >> with all due respect, dan, congressional -- >> hold on.
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hold on. this was a good debate until we start talking over each other. very quickly i'll give wexler the final word. go ahead. >> if this is a contest between president bush and president obama on iran, president obama wins hands down. the strictest versus very little action. >> he's running against governor romney. >> well, yes, but he was handed this set of cards. you asked why didn't he do it four years ago? he started from day one. and where we are now -- >> he resisted it. >> all right. >> is there an oil embargo by the european union now on iran? >> in the summer of 2012. why didn't we pursue this three year ago? >> has india reduced its taking of iranian oil? do we have admiralty sanctions crippling the iranian economy? has their currency been devalued almost 50%? the facts are the facts, dan. >> yes, but here's another fact that you would agree with, iran is closer to having a nuclear bomb today than at any time in
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recent memory. so it's true -- >> all right. we got to leave it. >> the economy's in bad shape, but they're closer to a bomb. >> here's the deal. we're going to continue this conversation, gentlemen. but unfortunately not today. i want both of you to come back. there will be plenty of opportunities to discuss this and other serious issues including syria, afghanistan, the national security issues are not going away. we will obviously focus on them here in "the situation room." dan senor and robert wexler, a good discussion, good debate. thanks to both of you for coming in. >> thank you, wolf. a father stained with the blood of the son he just lost. in our new 6:00 p.m. eastern hour our own ivan watson is now inside syria where outgunned and underequipped rebels are vowing to fight on. we're going there live. [ manager 1 ] out here in the winds,
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the united states military discovered horrifying abuse in an afghan hospital funded with millions of u.s. taxpayer dollars. now members of congress here in washington are hearing directly from the witnesses about this huge scandal. we want to warn you about some of the pictures you might be seeing. they will be disturbing. our pentagon correspondent, barbara starr, has this report. >> reporter: u.s. taxpayers spent more than $150 million in just 18 months here at the kabul national military hospital training afghans to look after their wounded. here is what that money bought. >> if there are children watching, please have them turn away or ask to leave the room. >> reporter: wounded, starving afghan patients. >> they're exceptionally graphic. >> reporter: testifying before congress retired and still serving u.s. officers who say
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american generals knew but didn't want the bad news to get out. congressman chaffetz quoted from testimony. >> oftentimes afghan doctors and nurses would demand bribes in exchange for care. those who could not afford to do so died in their hospital beds. >> reporter: surgeries with no painkillers and more. >> the open vats of blood draining out of soldiers' wounds, the feces on the floor. >> reporter: and for those tens of millions of dollars spent. >> medical supplies and equipment were hoarded, stored improperly and misused. >> reporter: retired colonel schuyler says his staff saw unended corruption. >> we supply 100% of the fuel and food to the afghan army including the hospital where it was routinely pilfered enriching the criminal networks.
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>> reporter: the men alleged their boss, lieutenant general william caldwell, delayed an investigation worried it would look bad politically. >> his first response to me was, how could we do this or make this request with elections coming. and then he made the really, again, shocking comment that he calls me bill. >> but what does that mean? >> well, i took it as that he was referring to the president of the united states. >> and then he had a personal relationship. >> i don't know, chairman, if he had a personal relationship. but the political pressure there was such that he made those statements. >> reporter: you see colonel vessel there in a u.s. army uniform. this is a colonel in the army saying that a three-star general used the president's name to get
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out of having an immediate investigation of the situation at this hospital. general caldwell has not publicly commented on this through his spokesman he is saying he believes the through his spokesman, he says he believes the allegations are false. >> a real scandal that's brewing, thanks, barbara, for that. coming up at the top of the hour, details of what police found inside the accused killer, james holmes' apartment in colorado. we're going there live. so you see everything the way it's meant to be seen. experience life well lit, ask for transitions adaptive lenses. you see us, at the start of the day. on the company phone list that's a few names longer. you see us bank on busier highways. on once empty fields. everyday you see all the ways all of us at us bank are helping grow our economy. lending more so companies and communities can expand,
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jack's back with the cafferty file. >> question this hour, should we cut 10% of the federal work force instead of cutting defense? the mandatory budget cuts are
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looming on the horizon end of the year. some people in washington don't want to fool with that, they want it postpone the cuts, get the money somewhere else. we should cut defense, leave federal workers in place, work on eliminating duplication of regulation effort and paperwork in government. too much time, effort, monday wasted on feathering already well feathered nets referring to the military industrial complex. doug in massachusetts. we ought to layoff all federal workers that aren't doing anything, about 90% of them. military could get by on half the money they get. money saved could be used to pay down the debt, hire people and companies to improve infrastructure. jack writes that would be a beginning. make it 25 for good measure. tom in new york, how about do both. we are far and away the leading military power in the world, no one comes close. trimming fat off the bloated military budget seems like a very good idea and the government has gotten bigger in recent years. downsizing through attrition is
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also a good idea. jen in seattle, we could survive without that. >> and why should we make more employed? why can't we stop making more guns and fighter jets? read more, go to the blog, cnn.com/caffertyfile or through our post on "the situation room" facebook page. underequipped, outnumbered, we go inside syria. coming up in the 6:00 p.m. eastern hour. the medicare debate continues in washington... ...more talk on social security... ...but washington isn't talking to the american people. [ female announcer ] when it comes to the future of medicare and social security, you've earned the right to know. ♪ ...so what does it mean for you and your family? [ female announcer ] you've earned the facts. ♪
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for generations. remember, all medicare supplement insurance plans help cover what medicare doesn't pay. and could save you thousands a year in out-of-pocket costs. call now to request your free decision guide. and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. rupert murdoch's journalists were charged in britain's phone
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hacking scandal. lisa sylvester is monitoring that and other stories. what happened? >> andy cole son, aid to david cameron, was charged with illegal eavesdropping, so is rebekah brooks. both were editors at news of the world tabloid, suspected of hacking some of the world's biggest celebrities, brad pitt, paul mccartney, jude law. in the end, everything comes down to money. moody's shifted the outlook on germany's aaa credit rating to negative because of concerns the germans have to take part in more eurozone bailouts. and penn state, its credit rating may be downgraded due to fallout from the sandusky sex scandal. and trouble in a country that's been one of africa's success stories. the president died at the age of
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68. it has had double digit economic growth and world's number two coca grower. wolf? happening now. inside look at the explosive trap under the colorado suspect's apartment. democrats have a major new push for gun control. and cnn inside syria, with rebel fighters stained with blood and fueled by anger. i'm wolf blitzer, you're in "the situation room." in colorado now, police are starting to connect some of the dots to figure out how james holmes allegedly armed himself to commit a massacre. this hour, we have all of the disturbing new details in the colorado shooting investigation and a new interview with a young survivor. but first, let's go to ed in aurora, colorado.
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what are you learning? >> reporter: wolf, just a year ago, james holmes when he arrived in colorado was a student going into a prominent neuroscience program. now many people are trying to figure out just what happened. james holmes looks more like a mad scientist now, a far cry from the promising neuroscientist that came to colorado just a year ago. one of six students awarded a prestigious grant from the national institutes of health to study at the university of colorado, the award is for students that show promise of making, quote, significant contributions to their field. that wouldn't happen in june. holmes dropped out. >> it is very unusual, very unusual for a student to withdraw from our program. >> reporter: the neuroscience grad provided homes $2200 a month to focus on school work. holmes apparently focused on building a secret arsenal of weapons and explosive materials.
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about a third of that stipend paid his rent in this apartment building. investigators wonder if he used any of the leftover money to buy, among other things, four guns and 6,000 rounds of ammunition. >> what kind of person does stuff like that? i mean, would you think that your next door neighbor would do something like that next to your house? >> reporter: a law enforcement source says holmes left 30 grenade like explosive devices in his living room. a web of wires to the control box in the kitchen. there were glass containers and gas cans in the apartment. law enforcement said the explosion and fire would have completely destroyed the apartment building. 12 days before the theater shootings, scott lawyer, pastor of the church started a series of sermons based on popular movies. he advertised you would get free
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movie tickets for coming. he thinks in that congregation was james holmes. >> immediately when i saw it, i remember seeing that guy. my thinking was he came for the ticket. i mean, that's my natural kind of thinking. >> reporter: he says several church members tried to talk to the man wearing a cap low over his face. he sat in the second to last row. lawyer says there was an intense look on his face. >> as soon as the service was gone. >> we had people say hi, hey, kept going, head down to the door with the hat on. got to the parking lot, got in his car and left. >> that was it. >> that was it. but we remember the face. >> reporter: investigators are scanning surveillance camera footage to see if it was james holmes that came to elevation church. was it him? if it was, did faith or free movie tickets have anything to do with bringing him here 12 days before the movie theater
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killing spree. wolf, what members of the church say is stranger from that morning on july 8th, all new members to get the free tickets were asked to fill a card with names and addresses, e-mail contacts. that's the way you would get the free movie tickets. when james or whoever the person was, james holmes, if it was him, were asked to fill out the card. he refused, walked out of the church, and never got the free movie tickets. >> amazing part of the story. ed, thank you. a teenager that survived the rampage is speaking about the fear and shock she's still experiencing and about her desperate attempt to save the life of the youngest victim, a little six-year-old, veronica moser sullivan. poppy harlow joins us from colorado. you spoke with kailin. >> reporter: i spent the day with an extraordinary person, 13 years old. little, a girl that was very scared, very shaken by
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everything that happened. i have to tell you kaylan represents all the courage, bravery, survival of this tragedy. i sat down with her and her mother at their local church today. and here is the story. when you talk about kaylan, she was the regular baby-sitter for veronica moser sullivan, at the movies with five people. three were shot, including veronica, who died, and veronica's mother ashley. and what kaylan did, she applied pressure to the little girl, six-year-old veronica, she called 911. they told her to do cpr, but she couldn't because veronica's mom collapsed on top of the girl after being shot in the abdomen. we talked about a lot of things today, including the fear she had as it was happening. take a listen. >> no way to describe what was going through my mind. i thought i was going to die.
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>> thought you were going to die. >> i never had that feeling before in my life. and it is the scariest feeling, to think that you're going to die. >> poppy, i know you spoke to her pastor. what did he say? >> reporter: i did speak to her pastor. his name is michael walker. what he told me is that he is still shocked a teenage girl, 13 years old, could be this selfless. take a listen. >> she's the type of kid that would come in a room, say what can i do to help. how can i give of myself. i mean, a young kid, that really can't be taught. >> reporter: yeah, can't be taught. she had the clarity of mind to call 911, try to save this little girl. she said she is still scared to go out of the house, still scared to go into crowds. at the same time, she's incredibly giving. she's going to her church tomorrow night like she does every wednesday, feed the
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homeless, try to help. it is an extraordinary story. we will have the full story on ac 360. >> thank you for sharing. poppy har low on the scene. christian bale who stars in batman movies is visiting victims of the shooting. that happened while he his new film was on screen, a photo of him at a hospital on twitter. they confirmed he went to aurora, colorado to meet with victims. the spokeswoman says he is there on his own, not representing the movie theater. colorado's governor says nearly $2 million has been donated so far to help victims of the movie theater shooting and their families. to find out how you can help, go to cnn.com/impact for information. i hope a lot of people are able to do that. these folks are going to need help. >> they're going to need help. while the tragedy happened over the weekend, it is still a tough week ahead. families have to make funeral plans. this is not over for families of
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those that passed, especially those that are still suffering in the hospital. a long recovery ahead for the entire community. also in the wake of the colorado shootings, especially the use of assault like weapons. some lawmakers on capitol hill are trying to restart the debate over gun control. take a listen. >> this has nothing to do with second amendment rights. this was made for military, for police. this is meant to kill as many people as possible in the shortest period of time. >> how many more moments of silence do we have to have? how many vigils, prayer services do we have to have, how many people that will be wounded and whose lives will be forever changed do we have to have in this cup before we have a dialogue? i suggest the dialogue should be happening right now. >> hear from two democratic members of congress. not everyone is agreeing.
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house speaker john boehner says quote, the president has made clear that he's not going to use this horrific event to push for new gun laws. i agree. at the half hour, we will have two top political reporters talk about whether the gun debate will get anywhere this election year, what that means going ahead. a day after president obama told veterans of foreign wars, you don't just have my words, you have my deeds, mitt romney told the vfw most of the president's deeds are awful, according to mitt romney, of course. singled out leaks from national security secrets. listen. >> this conduct is contemptible. it betrays our national interest, it compromises our men and women in the field, and it demands a full and prompt investigation by a special council, with explanation and consequence. >> romney says the president's policies weakened the nation and its international standing. only on wall street would a
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$9 billion profit in six months be considered bad news. but apple's report wasn't as good, despite sales of 17 million ipads, 26 million iphones, shares dropped 5% in after hours trading. sales rose 24% since a year ago. the numbers are pretty -- wasn't good enough, according to analysts. >> looked to me pretty good. >> i'd take it. taking a closer look this hour at the virtual time bomb police say was ready to go off in the apartment of the colorado shooting suspect, james holmes. we map out what we know. also, mynterview with microsoft's bill gates, he is here in washington, d.c. for the global aids conference to talk about progress and disappointment. >> the issue is pressing.
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we are told the inside of the colorado shooter's apartment looked like something you would see in the war zones in iraq or afghanistan. a source says it was rigged with explosives that would have set off a devastating fireball and likely a lot more deaths. cnn tom foreman joins us to look inside james holmes' apartment. tell the viewers what you're learning. >> reporter: we are finding out this was an incredible maze of triggers and bombs and problems in there. the chief at ri but of all, chief feature is in the middle. a cluster of 30 shells like you would see in fireworks displays, about the size of a softball. in the middle of one of the rooms. as you can see from the picture, we have here all connected with a maze of wires every which way. we also know with these wires, there were at least 12 different triggers involved. the triggers were things that
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would have been set off by something coming through the room. these were not timed bombs, this was something that somebody moving or opening a door or touching could have triggered off the explosions. whether or not they were all hooked together, all could have triggered once or individually, how it would work, we don't know. those are details we're still looking for. this is why we watched that video for hours of the authorities carefully looking through the window, figuring how to move. they knew inside all of this was there. what was it? 30 grenades, not a grenade like that, but types of grenade, maybe black powder, depending how they were configured could blow up or burn hot, set off a huge fire there. ten gallons of gasoline in various containers, glass and metal and otherwise around the room, set so they would spread fire quickly, multiple wires, and triggers of a variety of types. i talked to an expert in this sort of thing.
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said many would be 2, $3 devices, that you might put in a home security system, for example. in any event, they went to the countryside and plains, blew up what they found in the containers, you can see how much potential fire power and real fire would be related to that. as with all explosions, the more contained at the time of ignition, the greater the force, more it has ability to blow out walls, spread fire to all of that ak sell rant to different areas. this will be fascinating, tragically so, to see as we get more schematic how this was wired, and why this was so dangerous, and authorities had to move so slowly. you can imagine a setting like this, if you have a dozen different triggers in there, clearly that is a mine field, a literal mine field that investigators would walk into if they had simply come through the door or window. they had to work carefully, wolf. >> have to learn where he learned to do it, where he got it, money involved, lots of
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things involved. this investigation, kate, only just beginning. >> amazing to see that graphic representation of what was going on in that apartment. we will have more on the theater massacre throughout the hour. stay with us. first, a check of what's trending now in "the situation room." number four on the trending list. something funky going on with mitt romney's twitter account. he added more than 140,000 new followers in two days. astronomical jump. the campaign assures that it is not manipulating the numbers. number three, an nypd officer talks a suicide allman off a bridge in cantonese. turns out they were from the same village. he talks about that. stay with us. top two trending stories are up next. i'm only in my 60's...
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want to get you back to what's trending in "the situation room." number four on the trending list. mitt romney has 140,000 new twitter followers in two days. it is a huge spike. the campaign says it is not responsible. it is not manipulating the numbers. number three, an nypd officer talks a man down off a bridge in cantonese. both from the same chinese village. number two, a driver stuck in his crushed car after a bridge gave out beneath him sending him 30 feet into the river. rescuers made it down with ropes and lifted him out with no life threatening injuries. and number one tonight. there are tons of trucking jobs, but apparently no one is looking for them or wants them, even in this tough job market.
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talking 200,000 open positions nationwide. there are few takers. maybe because it is hard to get certified, and some would say the life-style can be rough. there are a lot of people looking for work. >> can make money, too. >> sign up! >> thank you. cnn confirmed reports that colorado gun stores saw a spike in sales in the aftermath of the movie theater shootings. the stays agency that processes instant background checks last friday, saturday, sunday, saw 43% increase in approvals compared to july. a background check doesn't mean a gun was sold, but it is certainly a good indicator. both president obama and mitt romney are resisting new pressure to respond to the colorado shooting with new gun laws. we're going to discuss what's going on, and mitt romney's foreign policy speech coming up. , listerine® cleans virtually your entire mouth.
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in louisiana we had more fun on the water. last season we broke all kinds of records on the gulf. this year we are out to do even better... and now is a great time to start. our beatches are even more relaxing... the fishing's great. so pick your favorite spot on the gulf... and come on down. brought to you by bp and all of us who call the gulf home. protesters are tying red ribbons over the gates of the white house, a symbol of their rally cry, more funding and increased treatment for aids patients. bill gates is adding a megaphone to that message at the international aids conference going on here in washington. he tells me funding aids treatment needs to be a priority because millions and millions of lives around the world depend on it. bill gates, thanks for joining us. >> great to be with you. >> how important is this global
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aids conference is in the nation's capital, back in the united states first time in a long time. >> i think there are several great things about this. the united states has come forward with the resources that are funding the research, funding delivery of the drugs, almost half that is the generosity of the united states. the united states still has an aids problem. it is good that experts get together. >> you say some aids problem, there's still a big aids problem in the united states as far as i can tell right here in district of columbia, a big aids problem. >> that's right. the big numbers are in africa, but it is very disappointing that we have not been able to end the epidemic, even in our own country. >> how close to a cure or vaccine? >> the vaccine, there's excellent scientific progress on it. the understanding of how to stimulate the right response, how to make the antibodies. scientists are doing a wonderful job.
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again, the u.s. is very generous there. but that will probably take a decade before we have a vaccine. all of the vaccine does, it is wonderful, it stops you from getting the disease. we will still have over 30 million people that have the disease, and we'll have to keep putting them in treatment. a cure would be a wonderful thing, but it's a long shot. there's not any real prospect of a cure. that would change the face of this disease, but it is not likely. >> there's growing opposition to funding, and congress during tough times. what do you say to members of congress that automatically will vote against any foreign aid, saying keep the money in the united states? >> well, the total for an aids budget is less than 1% of the u.s. government budget. we save people with meds, with
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aids medicines. we're all human beings. the more you can get out and see, this is making a difference for mothers, for teachers, they'll understand it is the most effective money the u.s. government spends. you could save lives for a thousand dollars. yes, we should do that, where lives are lost for the lack of the very small amount of money is in the poor countries. if you want to lift them up, help them get self sufficient, this is money well spent, and less than 1% of the total federal budget. >> we don't have a lot of time. a few questions on the economy. you agree with warren buffet, your good friend, are you pessimistic about the state of the economy? >> there are signs of growth, good things going on. european uncertainty, federal budget uncertainty weigh on people, it would be great to get those resolved.
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otherwise, you see good signs. >> are you supporting president obama in re-election? >> because of my role, i am not out doing political campaigning, you know, i am a regular voter. there's a lot of key issues i think are important, education, foreign aid. but i am not choosing to spend my time, except to speak out about those issues. in the last campaign, both candidates talked about raising foreign aid. i hope this time both candidates are good on that. we're not sure yet. >> i asked the question. you did attend an obama fund-raiser back in february which says to me you're supporting him, unless you change your mind. >> well, he has done a good job on foreign aid, on education, and it will be interesting to see what the republican platform has in those areas. >> quick question on microsoft. steve palmer, in charge, man you
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know obviously. all of this criticism of microsoft lately. what do you make of that? >> i think the product cycle at microsoft is exciting. windows 8 surface, the quality, and that's what it is all about. making great technical products and people will be thrilled when they see what the company has been up to. >> do you think it is moving in the right direction? >> i see good work. >> good luck with the aids project. i want to thank you on behalf of all viewers in the united states and around the world for what you're doing. you don't need to do it, but you're doing it, you and your wife melinda deserve a lot of credit for doing it. thank you so much. >> thank you. >> spent sometime there yesterday, he walks around, he is like a rock star. if you didn't know it was bill gates. >> he says i am just a regular voter. he is doing a lot for fighting aids all over the world. that's a wonderful thing. >> second richest man in the
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world, worth about $50 billion. other news, some democrats say it is time to sound the alarm about gun control. there's another massacre like the one in colorado. you covered this push on the hill, kate. what did you see? >> they're sounding the alarm, but no one expects it to go anywhere, especially right now in election year, when neither presidential candidate seems to be hearing that alarm. lisa sylvester is looking at the obama and romney stance on gun rights, gun control, how they evolved, what have you found out? >> reporter: it is interesting. if you rewind the tape, you can look at the statements they have made on the issue of guns. it is an interesting review of what they said before they were running for president and after. there have been a number of recent high profile mass shootings. the attack that nearly killed congresswoman gabby giffords.
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the ohio shooting, and last week's colorado theater massacre. but not even the most recent rampage prompted a call for tougher gun control laws from the two men running for president. in recent years, the views of president obama and gop candidate mitt romney have undergone a metamorphosis. running for u.s. senate in 2004, president obama called out president george w. bush on the issue of assault weapons. >> i think it is a scandal that this president did not force a renewal of the assault weapons ban. >> reporter: as president, mr. obama has done nothing to revive the ban himself. even as a candidate for the white house in 2008, he came down on the side of gun rights. >> what i believe is that there is a second amendment right. i think it is an individual right. i think people have the right to lawfully bear arms. >> reporter: mitt romney when he was running for the senate in 1994 said, quote, i don't line
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up with the nra. here is romney in 2002. >> we do have tough gun laws in massachusetts. i support them. i won't chip away at them. i believe they help protect us and provide for our safety. >> reporter: as governor, romney signed an assault weapons ban for massachusetts in 2004, but as a candidate for president this year, romney spoke out as a guns rights advocate at the nra convention. >> we need a president that will stand up for rights of hunters, sports men, those that seek to protect their homes and familiar reese. >> reporter: gallop poll numbs show 71% said gun laws should be stricter. 2011, support for tighter gun laws was down to 43%. the brady campaign to prevent gun violence says the presidential candidates have have been pandering for votes. >> they're afraid of the gun lobby, somehow that's playing into political calculus as relates to the presidential
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election. >> reporter: one reason for the shift may be the effectiveness of the national rifle association, getting its message out, to try to counter that, the brady campaign set up a new website called we are better than this.org. we reached out to the nra for interview, they declined to comment. the nra is important when it comes to contributions. nra affiliates in 2008 cycle gave nearly $1.2 million to political candidates. 80% going to republicans. the brady campaign to prevent gun violence pac, donated about $33,000. so huge, huge difference in money. >> we also invited wayne la pierre, head of the national rifle association to join us in "the situation room." he declined so far. maybe he'll change his mind. we're going to discuss the political fallout of this, and the political falloutof mitt
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romney's speech on foreign policy. john king, gloria borger are here with us in "the situation room." lots to talk about after this. this is $100,000. we asked total strangers to watch it for us. thank you so much, i appreciate it, i'll be right back.
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let's talk a bit more about gun politics after the colorado shooting. joining us now, chief national correspondent john king and chief political analyst, gloria borger. always gloria, an outcry after a
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shooting for tighter gun control. rarely anything significant happens. i assume you believe very insignificant action is going to take place now. >> not insignificant, nothing. not before the election, maybe not after the election. this all started sort of 1994, bill clinton passed the assault weapons ban. he really went to the mat on that and passed it. then you saw in polling numbers of people that want to protect gun rights really started going up, because people started being afraid. now you look at what's going on, you see the obama administration afraid of losing rural voters, afraid of losing blue collar voters, afraid of losing independent voters, afraid of losing voters that are anti-big government. i would make the case they probably didn't have a lot of those voters anyway. they don't want to risk losing independents. >> you heard from democrats on the hill today, they said they're waiting for the silent
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majority to speak up to make congress act. >> they're waiting for somebody else to have the courage to do what they don't have the courage to do. part of it is timidity on behalf of democrats that support gun control, don't want to say so, don't want to risk rural voters. al gore lot of people say lost tennessee, west virginia. i give you a half dozen reason the president of the united states saying stricter gun laws. saw lisa sylvester showed him as a senate candidate saying it was a scandal with george w. bush. here is reasons, virginia, north carolina, ohio, michigan, colorado, and i could go on. >> this could be more about congressional democrats saying that the president, also by the way, we would be in such danger of losing our senate seats and losing our house seats if you put us on the spot on this. this is not only at the
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presidential level, at the congressional level. >> mitt romney speaking in reno on national security today. >> the president's policies made it harder to recover from the deepest recession in 70 years. expose the military to cuts that no one can justify. compromised our national security secrets. [ applause ] and in dealings with other nations, he has given trust where it is not earned, insult where it was not deserved, and apology where it is not due. >> vice president biden quickly issuing a statement calling it empty rhetoric. >> this election is going to be decided on the economy. every challenger, nonincumbent has to prove themselves. some is optic, some their words. swing voters, they need them to close their eyes, see him as the
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president. osama bin laden was killed on this president's watch. there are significant gains on al qaeda and terrorism on this president's watch. it is harder to attack a democrat. wolf, you have been through many campaigns. republicans try to say democrats are soft. romney is going after the relationship with israel. he says the president walked away from an ally, questioning the relationship with china and russia. it is a tough one. will it matter in the end? >> romney is about to embark on an overseas trip. >> excellent adventure. do you think what you heard today and this coming trip, obama has consistently been pulling ahead of him on foreign policy. >> who would do better on foreign policy, according to our poll, obama 51, romney 43. he has credibility to gain with foreign policy. clearly as john mentioned, israel is a big issue. going to poland to challenge president obama on russia. he needs to get credibility, not only on foreign policy but on
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commander in chief issues. president obama consistently pulls that. >> getting in brand new numbers from nbc "the wall street journal" poll just released. registered voters nationally nationwide are right now obama ahead 49% to 43% nationally over mitt romney in june. same poll, it was 47 obama, 44 romney. so a slight up tick. within the margin of error shall we say. a little impressive number nationally. >> we elect presidents state by state. there are 10 or 12 battle ground states that matter more. the president is outspending romney, just campaign on campaign, he is outspending romney two to one. most ads are negative. 43 for romney is not a good number. you have the iumbent under 50. with 105 days to go, significant to keep the incumbent under 50. but proof negative advertising works. >> here is the interesting thing
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about the poll. unfavorable ratings of both candidates has gone up and this is a problem. people are already sick of the campaign, sick of the negative ads. why we saw president obama do a comparative ad, but it was look into the camera ad. what the american public is saying, we don't like either one of you guys now, we don't like what we're seeing on our television sets. >> and it is only july. >> thanks, guys. coming up at the top of the hour, cnn's erin burnett going outfront in africa, in mali at a refugee camp, looking at the human cost there. tell the viewers what you're seeing. >> reporter: wolf, it is pretty amazing. you talk about how osama bin laden was killed under president obama's watch, one of his signature foreign policy achievements. it is here on the frontier of northern mali where al qaeda and extremists, a lot of militia are
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rising. as we experienced in the past days, borders don't mean anything. there are people in 4 x 4s with guns mounted on the back. people are afraid for their lives. where i am standing now, you'll see tonight, this is a refugee camp. it is horrific to look at and to be here. for the people that are here, some quarter million refugees that fled northern mali which now could be some are saying the next afghanistan in terms of a safe haven for terrorists. more than twice as many refugees linked to this crisis than in syria. the u.s. put 13 times more money into syria. we have been going to the border, talking to people. we tried actually, i called, wolf, tried to speak to al qaeda military leader myself today. we have all of that coming up top of the hour, special report here from northern mali frontier. back to you. >> i can't wait to see the report. thanks very much, thanks for doing this important work while there. cnn's ivan watson is in syria
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now, getting an up close look at the rebel army, making gains, losing more men every single day. we're going there when we come back. our abundant natural gas is already saving us money, producing cleaner electricity, putting us to work here in america and supporting wind and solar. though all energy development comes with some risk, we're committed to safely and responsibly producing natural gas. it's not a dream. america's natural gas... putting us in control of our energy future, now. at liberty mutual, we know how much you count on your car, and how much the people in your life count on you. that's why we offer accident forgiveness, where your price won't increase due to your first accident. we also offer a hassle-free lifetime repair guarantee,
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urging syria not to use chemical weapons, echoing warnings from the united states and so many other countries around the world. a human rights group says syrian forces launched conventional attacks on the suburbs of damascus today in the air and on the ground. more than 50 people were killed in fighting across the country. as concern grows, though, about syria's weapons of mass destruction, a foreign ministry spokesman said yesterday that wmd would be used to respond to, quote, external aggression.
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ivan watson is joining us from inside syria. ivan, why the dramatic increase in fighting in the main cities like damascus and alepo in recent days? >> reporter: the rebels i've been talking to say after an explosion in damascus last wednesday killed four senior syrian security officials, they jumped on this opportunity on this setback for the syrian government and mounted their offenses. and that's what we're seeing, particularly right now in the commercial capital, alepo. we have seen from the village i'm in -- i can't gave you the name because of security reasons, last night hundreds of fighters being rallied, armed with weapons with high-powered grenades of a caliber we haven't seen here in the past and headed in the direction of that city. and in some cases, they're coming back paying the ultimate price. we saw one young soldier, his
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father with quite literally his son's blood staining his t-shirt when his 22-year-old son was killed in battle for that city, alepo by a helicopter gun ship that killed him on a rooftop, and the father wiping the blood of his son on his face today, and calling him a hero and a martyr. this is a bloody, dirty, violent, violent conflict. trying to maintain momentum now. >> have you seen evidence of foreign fighters helping the rebels inside syria? you are reporting live from inside syria. >> reporter: certainly. the vast majority of the fighters we come across are syrians. they're natives, the sons of villages in towns that have risen up against a family that has ruled them for more than 40 years. but we are seeing some foreign
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fighters, a man came up to me yesterday and said i'm turkish. and then his comrade said please don't talk to this foreign journalist. and in one community that we visited, the locals actually cook night after night for the rebels that are in their community, and they're telling me they're north africans among the syrian fight tlers. and i talked to a libyan who says he intends to cross the border with a platoon of libyan volunteers within a matter of hours, it not days. the problem is, there aren't guns for all of these fighters. rebels are still having trouble finding weapons for the volunteers, and, again, the vast majority of them are syrian who want to fight to overthrow this government. >> ivan watson is inside syria right now, risking his life to bring us these stories. be careful over there, ivan. thanks so much for what you're
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doing. amazing reporting. >> amazing. ivan does fabulous work. >> when he goes in there, it's obviously very, very dangerous. >> to say the very least. i want you all to stand by for more up to the minute reporting on the shooting massacre in colorado and much, much more coming up at the top of the hour. we'll be right back. like others who braved the sky before her, it took a mighty machine, and plain old ingenuity to go where no fifth grader had gone before. ♪ and she flew and she flew, into the sky and beyond. my name is annie and i'm the girl who dreamed she could fly. powered by intel core processors. ♪ ...more talk on social security... ...but washington isn't talking to the american people. [ female announcer ] when it comes to the future of medicare and social security, you've earned the right to know. ♪ ...so what does it mean for you and your family? [ female announcer ] you've earned the facts. ♪
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and learn more about the kinds of plans that will be here for you now -- and down the road. i have a lifetime of experience. so i know how important that is. finally, our jeanne moos has found a woman married to a prankster who goes by the name "manny the maniac." watch this. >> reporter: sure, he occasionally dresses up as elvis, but is this the face of a serial prankster? you bet. manny perez pulled the prank some are calling the meanest ever. >> so there is a truck getting towed and it looks like it's coming at us and my wife is asleep. so we're going to see if we can
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scare her. >> reporter: don't do it, manny. don't do it! >> meg, wake up, there's a truck. [ screaming ] >> i'm sorry. it was funny. it was getting towed. >> reporter: manny's wife sabra knocked his dash cam out of his hand. viewers feared the worst, i smell a divorce. but you guys are still happily married, right? >> yes, we are. >> reporter: others predicted bye-bye sex. >> well, i did make him sleep on the couch that night. because i didn't want to reward him for bad behavior, but -- >> reporter: saber says she didn't stay mad. she knows who she married. >> they call me "manny the maniac." >> reporter: by day, he's a crane inspector in north carolina. but in his spare time, he's posting pranks on manny's channel and sending videos of himself to ellen after she dared viewers to dance behind
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someone's back. ♪ sexy and i know it >> that's manny's 5-year-old son who seems to be following in his father's footsteps of pinching dad'sipples if it counts as a prank. caden was in the back seat for the truck trick. of course in wasn't the first prank he pulled on his wife. there was the mouse scare. he made a mouse out of a mitten and attached fishing line to it. [ screaming ] manny, that is not funny. >> reporter: and who could forget the incomparablebly juvenile snake in the toilet. >> my wife is terrified of snakes. >> reporter: so he put a rubber one in the bowl. [ screaming ] >> reporter: the highway prank could have been worse. in the movie "out cold," they loaded a drunk zack gal if a in that case as mind the behindth